Bait box

ABSTRACT

A bait box ( 10 ) has a housing ( 12 ) and a lid ( 14 ) which can be fitted to the housing ( 12 ). The lid ( 14 ) can be moved between a locked and closed position and an unlocked and open position. A locking means ( 34 ) is provided between the housing ( 12 ) and the lid ( 14 ) having one or more locking members ( 40 ) which can be releasably secured to the housing ( 12 ) or the lid ( 14 ). The or each locking member ( 40 ) and the other of the housing ( 12 ) and the lid ( 14 ) having interengageable formations ( 48, 90 ) which can be used to lock the housing ( 12 ) and the lid ( 14 ) to each other. The or each locking member ( 40 ) can be released from the housing or the lid and can be removed from the housing ( 12 ) or the lid ( 14 ) when the lid ( 14 ) is in the unlocked and open position.

The present invention relates to bait boxes, in particular, although notexclusively rodent bait boxes made from moulded plastics materials.

Existing rodent bait boxes often comprise a housing having a floor and asurrounding wall provided with one or more openings to allow rodents toenter the box, together with a lid. The lid may be hinged to thesurrounding wall of the housing or can be fitted and secured to thewall. The housing and lid are usually made from a moulded plasticsmaterial.

In both types of known bait box a latch or lock is provided between thehousing and the lid to secure them together. The latch or lock normallytakes the form of one or more flexible prongs or tangs each having ahook portion which can be secured in a recess in the underside of thelid. The prongs or tangs and the related recesses are integral with thehousing and lid respectively, being formed as part of the mouldingprocess.

In certain applications it is require that the bait box be made of arelatively tough material which can withstand heavy objects beingdropped onto it or rough treatment to the exterior. However, if existingboxes are made from a material which is relatively tough the prongs ortangs may not be flexible enough to move into engagement with thecorresponding recesses when the housing and lid are brought together.This limits the range of materials from which the bait box can be made.

Another drawback which is encountered with toughened plastics materialsis that it becomes difficult to create bait boxes in which the lid ishinged to the housing by means of an integral or “live” hinge. Thestiffness of such materials prevents the live hinge from workingeffectively.

This has been partly overcome by use of bait boxes having a two-partconstruction which use a mechanical hinge. WO 99/03340 discloses such abait box in which the housing and lid are moulded separately. The lid isprovided with a plurality of u-shaped clips which hook around the top ofthe rear wall of the housing to create a mechanical hinge. In thisarrangement, the housing has slightly thicker plastic around the hingeand the lid is “clipped-on” or “snap-fitted” around these thickenedportions. This mechanical hinge is designed to be permanently attachedand not to be removed.

It is common for pest control operatives to write details of theirinspection of the box on the inside of the lid. This information can beviewed at subsequent visits to determine the amounts and types of baitwhich should be used in that location. Ideally, the operative wouldsimply unlock the lid from the housing and lift it away from the housingthereby enabling them to scrutinise and update the box history withouthaving to crouch down by the box. Although bait-boxes such as the onedisclosed in WO 99/03340 overcome the limitation on the range ofmaterials which can be used in construction, the use of a “clip-fit” or“snap-fit” hinge makes the lid quite difficult to remove on a regularbasis. Repeated removal of the lid from the housing can also effect theoperation of the hinge. Use of strong materials would prevent hinge frombeing clipped together.

The present invention seeks to address the drawbacks of the existingbait boxes by providing a bait box which can be made from a wider rangerof materials than existing bait boxes, and which has a lid which can bemore readily and routinely separated from the housing.

According to the present invention there is provided a bait boxcomprising:

a housing having a floor and a surrounding wall with one or moreopenings;

a lid which is securable to the housing, and which is movable between aclosed position and open position relative to the housing; and

one or more locking members releasably secured to the housing or the lidto lock the lid to the housing in the closed position, in which the oreach locking member is releasable from the housing or the lid and whichcan be removed from the housing or the lid when the lid is in the openposition.

Advantageously, releasably securing the locking member(s) to the housingor the lid allows the or each locking member to be made from a materialwhich can differ from those from which the housing and lid are made.

The or each locking member may be made from the same material to thatfrom which the housing and/or lid is constructed. In preferredembodiments, the or each locking member is made from a differentmaterial to that of which the housing and/or lid is constructed. Thehousing and/or lid may be made from a polymeric material. The polymericmaterial can include one or more of the following polypropylene, supertough nylon or polycarbonate.

The housing may be made in any convenient shape, for example it may havea surrounding wall which is circular. The surrounding wall may comprisethree or more connected side walls. The surrounding wall may have four,five, six, seven or eight connected side walls. Conveniently, thesurrounding wall has four connected walls. In preferred embodiments, thefloor or the housing is rectilinear in shape. Most preferably, the floorof the housing is rectangular. Preferably, the longer sides of thesurrounding wall form front and back walls connected by two opposingside walls. One of the side walls may be provided with an opening toallow rodents to enter the box. Most preferably, each of the side wallshas an opening.

Preferably, the housing or the lid is provided with one or moreapertures which open into the interior of the bait box, and in which atleast part of the or each locking member can be inserted into andsecured inside the or each aperture. Providing apertures in the housingor lid allows the or each locking member to inserted or removed when thelid is in the open position. In a preferred embodiment, the or eachaperture is provided in the floor of the housing.

Conveniently, the or each locking member further comprises a resilientmember which can be brought into and out of engagement with an edge ofthe or each aperture to releasably secure the or each locking member tothe housing or lid. A resilient member provides a simple means ofengaging the or each locking member to the housing or lid. Preferably,the locking member comprises a body portion to which the resilientmember is connected. Conveniently, the resilient member is provided inor adjacent a lock recess. The resilient member may comprise a flexibleclip. The resilient member may be connected integrally to the bodyportion along a first edge and have a free end. The resilient member mayproject outwardly away from the first edge towards the free end distalfrom the free edge. Conveniently, at least a part of the resilientmember can be pressed into the lock recess. In preferred embodiments, asecond end of the locking member comprises a foot.

Preferably, the or each locking member can be secured to a surroundingwall of the housing or to a surrounding wall of the lid. The or eachlocking member may be secured to the surrounding wall of the housing orlid by a clip. Most preferably, the interengagable formations providedon the or each locking member comprise at least one hook portion, and inwhich the interengageable formations on the other of the housing or thelid comprise at least one recess adapted to receive a hook portion.

Preferably, the lid has an upper surface which is the same shape as thefloor of the housing. The upper surface of the lid may have asurrounding wall. In a preferred embodiment, the surrounding wall maycomprise three or more connected side walls. The surrounding wall mayhave four, five, six, seven or eight connected side walls. Conveniently,the surrounding wall has four connected walls. In preferred embodiments,the lid is rectilinear in shape. Most preferably, the lid isrectangular. Preferably, the longer sides of the surrounding wall formfront and back walls connected by two opposing side walls.

The lid may be integrally connected to the housing. Preferably, the lidis connected to the housing by a living hinge. Most preferably, the lidand housing are separable. Producing a separable housing and lidincreases the range of materials that the bait box can be made from.

Conveniently, in which the housing and lid provide between them one ormore tongue-and-groove fittings which can be used to hold the lid in aclosed position relative to the housing. Use of tongue-and-groovefittings offers a simple means to secure the lid to the housing.Preferably, the tongue-and-groove fittings are defined by one or moreprojections on the lid and/or housing. Conveniently, the surroundingwall of the housing is provided with a shoulder. Preferably, theshoulder supports the surrounding wall of the lid when the lid is placedon the housing.

In a preferred embodiment, the housing is provided with a first pair ofprojections located above the shoulder. Preferably, the first pair ofprojections and shoulder between then define a first pair of grooves.Conveniently, the inner surface of the front wall of the lid has asecond pair of projections. Preferably, each of the second pair ofprojections can be received in one of the first pair of grooves to forma first tongue-and-groove fitting. In a preferred embodiment, the outersurface of the rear wall of the lid is provided with a third pair ofprojections. Most preferably, the third pair of projections are parallelto one another. Conveniently, the third pair of projections define asecond groove between them. Preferably, the inner surface of the rearwall of the housing is provided with a fourth projection. Conveniently,the fourth projection projects into the interior of the housing. Morepreferably, the fourth projection can be received in the second grooveto form a further tongue-and-groove fitting.

In preferred embodiments, the housing or the lid provide between themone or more hinge housings and one or more hinge fittings, the or eachhinge fitting being adapted to be received in a corresponding hingehousing. Insertion of the or each hinge fitting into corresponding hingehousing enables the lid to be secured to the housing.

Preferably, the or each locking member and the other of the housing andthe lid are provided with interengageable formations which can be usedto lock the housing to the lid. Conveniently, the interengagableformations provided on the or each locking member comprise at least onehook portion, and in which the interengageable formations on the otherof the housing or the lid comprise at least one recess adapted toreceive a hook portion. A hook portion received in a recess provides asimple yet effective locking mechanism. Preferably, the or each lockingmember comprises two hook portions which are received a correspondingpair of recesses in the lid. Conveniently, the or each recess isprovided with a ledge. In preferred embodiments, the or each hookportion has a surface which engages a ledge in the or each recess whichlocks the lid to the housing.

The or each locking member may be made from a polymeric material. Forexample the or each locking member may be made from polypropylene, supertough nylon or polycarbonate. Most preferably, the locking member ismade from nylon. Preferably, the or each locking member is made of anylon material. Nylon is a relatively flexible material which allows theresilient member and hook portion of the locking member to be deformedfrom a resting position as the locking member is inserted or removedinto or out an aperture in the housing or as the lid is locked to thehousing respectively.

Conveniently, the or each locking member is made from a material whichhas a lower tensile strength than the material from which the housingand or lid are constructed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provideda bait box comprising:

a housing having a floor and a surrounding wall with one or moreopenings; and

a lid which can be secured to the housing, and which can be movedbetween a closed position and open position;

in which the housing and lid provide between them one or moretongue-and-groove fittings which can be used to secure the lid to thehousing.

The use of tongue-and-groove fittings enables the lid to be located onthe housing and removed from the housing more readily and routinely thanif a mechanical hinge were provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided abait box comprising:

a housing having a floor and a surrounding wall with one or moreopenings; and

a lid which can be secured to the housing, and which can be movedbetween a closed position and open position;

in which the housing or the lid provide between them one or more hingehousings and one or more hinge fittings, the or each hinge fitting beingadapted to be received in a corresponding hinge housing to secure thelid to the housing.

The use of hinge housings and hinge fittings enables the lid to belocated on the housing and removed from the housing more readily androutinely than if a mechanical hinge were provided.

The second and third aspects of the present invention can include any ofthe preferred features relating to the first aspect of the invention aslaid out above or any features laid out elsewhere in the description.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the following figures in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of the exterior of a bait box inaccordance with the a first embodiment of the present invention in aclosed and locked configuration;

FIG. 2A shows a plan view of a housing of the bait box shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B shows a side-view of the housing shown in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C shows a front view of the housing shown in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A shows a plan view of a lid of the bait box shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3B shows a side view of the lid shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3C shows a front view of the lid shown in FIG. 3A;

FIGS. 3D, 3E and 3F show plan, end elevation and side elevationsrespectively of a blanking piece for use with the lid in FIGS. 3A, 3Band 3C;

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C show front, plan and side views respectively of alocking member in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 5A and 5 B show a plan view and a side view of a bait rod;

FIGS. 6A and 6B show a plan view and a side view of a bait rod;

FIGS. 7A and 7B show front and rear perspective views of a housing inaccordance with a further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the underside of a lid in accordancewith a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C show respectively a plan view, a side view, and afront view of the housing shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C including ashroud and a first securement means; and

FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C show respectively a plan view, a side view, anda front view of the lid shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C including a secondsecurement means.

FIG. 1 shows a bait box 10 in accordance with a first embodiment of thepresent invention. The bait box 10 has a housing 12 and a lid 14 whichcan be moved between a closed and locked position (as shown in FIG. 1)and an open and unlocked position (not shown). The housing 12 and lid 14may be formed by moulding. The housing 12 has a floor 16 which isconnected to an upstanding surrounding wall 18. The surrounding wall 18has a front wall 20, two side walls 22 and a rear wall 24. A shoulder 25is provided towards the top of the side walls 22 and rear wall 24 tosupport the lid 14 when it is placed on the housing 12. One or moreopenings 26 are provided in the surrounding wall 18 to allow rodents toenter the box.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the lid 14 is attached to the housing12 by three hinges 28 which form a mechanical hinge. Three hingehousings 30 are provided on the rear wall 24 of the housing 12 intowhich three corresponding hinge fittings 32 on the lid 14 can belocated. The lid 14 may be locked to the housing 12 using two lockingmeans 34 (details will follow later), which are accessible throughcorresponding access holes 36 in the front of the lid. Locking the lid14 to the housing 12 creates a closed container which rodents can enter.Rodent bait containing anti-coagulants or other rodenticides having beenplaced inside the box.

The housing 12 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C. Theinterior of the housing 12 has a pair of dividing walls 38 each of whichis located adjacent an opening 26 in a side wall 22 of the housing 12 todefine an entrance corridor 39 for rodents. The dividing walls 38 alsodefine a bait chamber 41 which can be accessed by rodents through acentral hole 43. A pair of locking members 40 which form part of thelocking means 34 can be seen in plan view in FIG. 2A and in front andside elevations in FIGS. 2B and 2C respectively. Each locking member 40can be inserted through one of a pair of apertures 42 in the floor 16 ofthe housing 12, the apertures 42 being located towards the front of thebox.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show a locking member 40 in greater detail separatedfrom the housing 12. FIG. 4C shows a locking member 40 in contact withthe housing 12 and locked to the lid 14. Each locking member 40 has anelongate body portion 44 with a first end from which two arms 46 extend.Each of these arms has a hook portion 48 with a sloping surface 50. Thebody portion 44 of the locking member 40 has a lock recess 52 which isgenerally rectilinear as viewed in FIG. 4A. A resilient member 54comprising a flexible clip, is connected integrally to the body portion44 along a first edge 56 and has a free end 58. The resilient member 54projects outwardly away from the first edge 56 towards the free end 58and can be pressed into the lock recess 52. A second end of the lockingmember 40 takes the form of a foot 60.

In use, a locking member 40 can be pushed into one of the apertures 22in the floor 16 of the housing 12. A tube 62 is formed on the innersurface 64 of the floor 16 of the housing 12. The tube 62 has a centralpassage 66 which forms a close fit around a lower portion 68 of the bodyportion 44 of the locking member 40. The locking member 40 is insertedinto the aperture 22 with the hook portions 48 entering first. The hookportions 48 are then pushed through the passage 66 into the tube 62. Asthe body portion 40 is pushed into the passage 66 there comes a pointwhere the resilient member 54 flexes inwardly as it contacts an innersurface 70 of the tube 62. The resilient member 54 remains pressed intothe lock recess 52 until the free end 58 of the resilient member 54 ispushed past an upper edge 72 of the tube 62. The resilient member 54then flexes outwardly such that the free end 58 projects outwardly intocontact with the upper edge 72 of the tube 62 thereby preventing releaseof the locking member 40 from the tube 62.

To release the locking member 40 from the housing 12, the resilientmember 54 is depressed into the lock recess 52 so that the free end 58no longer contacts the upper edge 72 of the tube 62. The locking member40 can then be pushed and/or pulled out of the tube 62 for release fromthe housing 12. The resilient member 54 can only be depressed when thelid 14 has been opened allowing an operative to gain access to theinterior of the housing 12. This provides security and preventsaccidental release of the locking members 40 from the housing 12.

A lid 14, in accordance with a first embodiment of the presentinvention, is shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C. The lid 14 has an uppersurface 74, a front wall 76, two side walls 78 and a rear wall 80. Thethree hinge fittings 32 project from the rear wall 80 of the lid 14 andinclude a hook 82 which forms part of a hinge arm 84. Each of the hingehousings 30 on the housing 12 have a lip 84 which creates a re-entrantopening 86 into a cavity 88. To connect the lid 14 to the housing 14 thehinge arms 84 are pushed towards the respective cavities 88 in the hingehousings 30. As the hook 82 contacts the lip 84 the hooks 82 are forceddownwardly until they become caught behind the lip 84 and are secured inthe cavities 88.

The lid 14 is also provided with two pairs of recesses 90 which have aledge 92. These recesses 90 receive corresponding hook portions 48 on alocking member 40. The recesses 90 take the form of a channel 97 and areformed in the moulding process. The channels are blocked off by blankingpieces 96, shown in FIGS. 3D, 3E and 3F. The blanking pieces are shownin situ in FIGS. 1, 3A, 3B and 3C.

As the lid 14 is placed in position on the housing 12, the ledges 92slide over the sloping surface 50 of a hook portion 48 and then slipunder a lower surface 94 of the hook portion 48 securing it in therecess 90 as illustrated in FIG. 4C. A front recess wall 96 has accessholes 98 into which a key (not shown) can be inserted to lever the hookportions 48 out of engagement with the ledges 92. This unlocks thelocking mechanism and enables the id 14 to be opened and lifted awayfrom the housing 12.

As seen in FIG. 2A, the floor 16 of the bait chamber 41, the dividingwalls 38 and an inner surface 100 of the front wall 20 of the housing 12have various adaptations which allow bait in a variety of forms to bepresented to rodents that enter the bait box 10. Two sets of three studs102 project upwardly from the floor 16 of the bait chamber 41. Each ofthese sets of studs 102 can support a drinking tray (not shown) fromwhich rodents can drink water which include an anti-coagulant or arodenticide. Four spikes 104 oriented vertically project from the floor16 of the bait chamber 41 upon which blocks of bait can be positioned.The inner surface of the lid 14 is provided with four correspondingspike recesses 98 into which a free end of each spike 104 can belocated. This helps to further position the lid 14 on the housing 12 andprevents the spikes 104 from being dislodged by rodents feeding on baitsecured to the spikes 104.

Two pairs of supports 106 are provided on opposing surfaces of thedividing walls 38 and the inner surface 100 of the front wall 20 of thehousing 12. The supports 106 include a cradle 107 in which a bait rod108 can be supported. The bait rod 108 can hold a bait block (shown inoutline in FIG. 2B) which rodents can feed from. Webs 110 of differentsizes are also provided on the dividing wall 38 which prevent rotationof supported bait blocks. Movement of bait discourages rodents, inparticular rats, from feeding as it tends to frighten them.

Two further examples of bait rods 112, 114 are illustrated in FIGS. 5A,5B, 6A and 6B. These further bait rods 112, 114 have a body portion 116,118 which is square in cross-section and have a plurality of fins whichradiate out from the body portion 116, 118. As seen in FIGS. 5A and 5Bextended fin portions 120 are provided towards one end of the rod 116.These fin portions 120 cut into the side of bait blocks (not shown) andhelp to hold the blocks securely to the rod 116. The rod 118 in FIGS. 6Aand 6B has extended fin portions 122 located towards the centre of therod.

In a further embodiment, shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B and 8, the lid 14′ isarranged to be fitted slidingly on the housing 12′. The housing 12′ andlid 14′ are similar on construction to the lid 12 and housing 14 of theembodiment described above. The major differences between this furtherembodiment and the one described above are the use of a locking member40′ which clips to the front wall 20′ and the absence of hinges tolocate the lid 14′ on the housing 12′.

The front and side walls 20′, 22′ of the housing 12′ are provided with ashoulder 25′ which supports the front and side walls 76′, 78′ of the lid14′ when the lid 14′ is placed on the housing 12′. The housing 12′ has afirst pair of projections 200 located above the shoulder 25′ towards thetop of the front wall 20′. Between them the first pair of projections200 and shoulder 25′ form a first pair of grooves 202. The inner surfaceof the front wall 76′ of the lid 14′ has a second pair of projections204 each of which can be received in one of the first pair of grooves202 to form first tongue-and-groove fittings. Similarly, the outersurface of the rear wall 80′ of the lid 14′ has a third pair ofprojections 206 which are parallel to one another and form a secondgroove 208 between them. The inner surface of the rear wall 24′ of thehousing 12′ has a fourth projection 210 which projects into the interiorof the housing 12′. The fourth projection 210 can be received in thesecond groove 208 to form a further tongue-and-groove fitting.

In this further embodiment the lid 14′ is slid on to the housing 12′ thetwo being fitted together using the tongue-and-groove fittings. The lid14′ can then be locked to the housing 12′. The locking member 40′ inthis embodiment is a single piece construction and has a body portion44′ which supports two arms 46′ each of which has a free end having ahook portion 48′. A pair of recesses 90′ are provided in a block 91′formed as part of the lid 14′ moulding. Each of the recesses 90′ has aledge (not shown) which receive corresponding hook portions 48′ on thelocking member 40′. As the lid 14′ is placed in position on the housing12′, the arms 46′ flex downwardly slightly until the ledges engage ahook portion 48′ securing it in a recess 90′. An access hole (not shown)is provided on the front wall 76′ of the lid 14′ into which a key (notshown) can be inserted to lever the hook portions 48′ out of engagementwith the ledges. This unlocks the locking mechanism and enables the lid14′ to be opened and lifted away from the housing 12′.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C show a further embodiment of the housing 12 of thepresent invention which includes a shroud or wall 120. The shroud 120 isconnected to the floor 16, a side wall 22 and the inner surface 100 ofthe front wall 20. The shroud 120 forms an enclosure around the lockingmember 40 which is open towards its upper end 121. The shroud 120 actsto collect water which seeps into the box by means of the access holes36 for the locking means 34. A drain hole 122 is provided in the floor16 to allow water captured by the enclosure to drain way from thehousing 12.

The housing 12 shown in FIGS. 9A and 9C include a first securement means124 which, in the embodiment shown, is integral with the shoulder 25.The first securement means 124 takes the form of a generallysemi-circular member with a circular aperture 126. The lid 14 shown inFIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C includes a second securement means 128 which, inthe embodiment shown, is integral with the front wall 76. The secondsecurement means 128 takes the form of a generally semi-circular memberwith a circular aperture 130. In use, the lid 14 can be located on thehousing 14 such that the first and second securement means 124, 128 arebrought in to registration with one another. In this configuration,their respective apertures 126, 130 can be brought into registrationwith one another. A further locking means (not shown), such as the armof a padlock, can then be passed through the apertures 126, 130 and usedto secure the first and second securement means 124, 128, and hence thelid 14 and housing 12 to each other.

1. A bait box comprising: a housing having a floor and a surroundingwall with one or more openings; a lid which is securable to the housing,and which is moveable between a closed position and open positionrelative to the housing; and one or more locking members releasablysecured to the housing or the lid to lock the lid to the housing in theclosed position, in which the or each locking member is releasable fromthe housing or the lid and which can be removed from the housing or thelid when the lid is in the open position.
 2. A bait box as claimed inclaim 1, in which the or each locking member is made from a materialwhich is different from that which the housing and/or lid isconstructed.
 3. A bait box as claimed in claim 1 in which the housing orthe lid is provided with one or more apertures which open into theinterior of the bait box, and in which at least part of the or eachlocking member can be inserted into and secured inside the or eachaperture.
 4. A bait box as claimed in claim 3, in which the or eachlocking member further comprises a resilient member which can be broughtinto and out of engagement with an edge of the or each aperture toreleasably secure the or each locking member to housing or lid.
 5. Abait box as claimed in claim 2, in which the or each locking member canbe secured to the surrounding wall of the housing or to a surroundingwall of the lid.
 6. A bait box as claimed in claim 1, in which the lidand housing are separable.
 7. A bait box as claimed in claim 1, in whichthe housing and lid provide between them one or more tongue-and-groovefittings which can be used to hold the lid in a closed position relativeto the housing.
 8. A bait box as claimed in claim 1, in which thehousing or the lid provide between them one or more hinge housings andone or more hinge fittings, the or each hinge fitting being adapted tobe received in a corresponding hinge housing.
 9. A bait box as claimedin claim 1, in which the or each locking member and the other of thehousing and the lid are provided with interengageable formations whichcan be used to lock the housing to the lid.
 10. A bait box as claimed inclaim 9, in which the interengageable formations provided on the or eachlocking member comprise at least one hook portion, and in which theinterengageable formations on the other of the housing or the lidcomprise at least one recess adapted to receive a hook portion.
 11. Abait box comprising: a housing having a floor and a surrounding wallwith one or more openings; and a lid which can be secured to thehousing, and which can be moved between a closed position and openposition; in which the housing and lid provide between them one or moretongue-and-groove fittings which can be used to secure the lid to thehousing.
 12. A bait box comprising: a housing having a floor and asurrounding wall with one or more openings; and a lid which can besecured to the housing, and which can be moved between closed positionand open position; in which the housing or the lid provide between themone or more hinge housings and one or more hinge fittings, the or eachhinge fitting being adapted to be received in a corresponding hingehousing to secure the lid to the housing.
 13. (canceled)